Apparel skirt system

ABSTRACT

Embodiments herein may provide a powder skirt system that may include an outer shell/layer, an inner removable liner configured to be optionally coupled to the shell, an envelope of material coupled to a lower portion of the shell, and a powder skirt coupled to the envelope. The envelope may be coupled to either the shell or the removable liner, such that the powder skirt can be used whether or not the removable liner is coupled to the shell.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to U.S. Patent Application No. 61/235,477, filed Aug. 20, 2009, entitled POWDER SKIRT SYSTEM AND METHOD, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments herein relate generally to outerwear, and in particular to methods and apparatuses that use a powder skirt with outerwear, such as a ski jacket, and, optionally, outerwear that has a removable inner liner.

BACKGROUND

Powder skirts are often used in outerwear, such as jackets, that are designed for use while engaging in winter sports, such as skiing or snowboarding. In fact, some retailers require that any jacket labeled as a “ski jacket” include a powder skirt. The powder skirt is generally a piece of material that attaches to the inside surface of the jacket and extends around the wearer's waist, generally below the beltline. In the event of a fall, the powder skirt protects the wearer from having snow reach the inner layer of clothing or the wearer's body.

The powder skirt usually attaches to the inside surface of the jacket a few inches (e.g., about six inches) above the bottom edge of the jacket so as to shield the powder skirt from view. However, issues arise when a powder skirt is used with jackets that comprise an outer shell and a removable inner liner, where the shell and liner may be worn either together or separately. In such jackets, the liner is often configured such that it can be fastened inside the shell, such as in Columbia Sportswear's Interchange System™. When a liner is fastened to a jacket that includes a powder skirt, the powder skirt must extend around the liner, inhibiting the functionality of the powder skirt and causing the liner to bunch up. The liner also may cause the powder skirt to undesirably rise above the user's belt line when movement of the upper body occurs.

In current liner systems where the liner zips into the shell jacket, the powder skirt, which generally needs to be snapped closed to work, can no longer be snapped closed at all. Generally, the liner zipper closure prevents the powder skirt from being wrapped fully around the body between the liner and the shell. This renders the powder skirt nonfunctional because it is not snug to the body and thus may allow snow and wind to make its way up inside the garment, for example, in a fall or when in deep snow and/or high wind conditions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1A shows a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of a powder skirt system in which an outer layer of outerwear shell is shown without a removable liner, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 1B illustrates an inside view of a portion of outerwear and powder skirt system, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 2A illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a powder skirt system wherein a removable liner is used in conjunction with the outerwear, in accordance with various embodiments; and

FIG. 2B illustrates an inside view of a powder skirt system when a removable liner is coupled to the outerwear, in accordance with various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scopes of embodiments, in accordance with the present disclosure, are defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Various operations may be described as multiple discrete operations in turn, in a manner that may be helpful in understanding embodiments of the present disclosure; however, the order of description should not be construed to imply that these operations are order dependent.

The description may use perspective-based descriptions such as up/down, back/front, and top/bottom. Such descriptions are merely used to facilitate the discussion and are not intended to restrict the application of embodiments of the present disclosure.

The terms “coupled” and “connected,” along with their derivatives, may be used. It should be understood that these terms are not intended as synonyms for each other. Rather, in particular embodiments, “connected” may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. “Coupled” may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. However, “coupled” may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other, but yet still cooperate or interact with each other.

For the purposes of the description, a phrase in the form “NB” or in the form “A and/or B” means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of the description, a phrase in the form “at least one of A, B, and C” means (A), (B), (C), (A and B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C). For the purposes of the description, a phrase in the form “(A)B” means (B) or (AB) that is, A is an optional element.

The description may use the phrases “in an embodiment,” or “in embodiments,” which may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Furthermore, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like, as used with respect to embodiments of the present disclosure, are synonymous.

In various embodiments, a powder skirt system is disclosed which may be used in conjunction with outerwear, and in particular embodiments, the system may be used with a ski parka or jacket. The jacket may have a first or outer layer that is selected to resist or prevent matter, such as snow, rain or other precipitation, water, chemicals, wind, dirt, or debris, etc., from reaching an inner layer or the wearer's body. The powder skirt system may be particularly suited for use with outerwear that includes a shell and a removable or interchangeable liner, wherein the shell and the removable liner may each be worn separately or together.

In various embodiments, the powder skirt system includes an elongated piece of material, generally referred to herein as the “envelope”, which may extend generally from a lower edge portion of the jacket outer layer. The envelope may include one or more ends/edges or sides that are configured to be coupled in a detachable fashion (e.g., with a zipper, button, snap, or hook and loop closure such as Velcro™, etc.) to an inside surface of the jacket (e.g., the inner side of a shell, the inner lining material, etc.), a removable liner, or both. A powder skirt may be coupled to the envelope and extend for coupling around a wearer's body. In such embodiments, the powder skirt may then be used either with the jacket or shell by itself or in combination with a removable liner. Further, systems in accordance with various embodiments may allow the removable liner to be coupled into the shell in a more optimal fashion by resisting bunching of the removable liner, while also maintaining functionality of the powder skirt when used with or without a removable liner.

FIG. 1A shows a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of a powder skirt system 100 in which a jacket or shell 2 is used without a removable liner, in accordance with various embodiments; FIG. 1B illustrates an inside view of a portion of a jacket or shell 2 and powder skirt system 100, in accordance with various embodiments; FIG. 2A illustrates a cross-sectional side view of powder skirt system 100 wherein a removable liner 22 is used in conjunction with a jacket or shell 2, in accordance with various embodiments; and FIG. 2B illustrates an inside view of powder skirt system 100 when removable liner 22 is coupled to a jacket or shell 2, in accordance with various embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 1A, in various embodiments, shell 2 may have an outer surface 4 and an inner surface 6. Although the exemplary shell depicted in FIG. 1A is shown as having two layers, an outer layer and an inner lining layer, shells that may be used in accordance with the present disclosure may include a single layer, such as a single layer of water-resistant breathable fabric or a laminated fabric, or they may include additional layers, such as one or more insulating layers, for instance between the inner lining layer and the outer layer. Thus, inner surface 6 may be the inner side of a single piece of material that makes up shell 2, or it may be the inner side of, for example, a sewn in lining or insulating material.

An envelope 10 may be a piece of material that includes a first longitudinal edge portion 11 (also referred to as a lower edge portion), a second longitudinal edge portion 15 (also referred to as an upper edge portion), and one or more lateral edges 21 (e.g. one on each side between upper edge portion 15 and lower edge portion 11). In the illustrated embodiment, envelope 10 may generally resemble a rectangle, although other shapes are possible. Envelope 10 may be elongated and configured to fold upwards and may generally overlay inner surface 6 of shell 2 such that the surface of envelope 10 generally conforms to the shape of inner surface 6 of shell 2. In various embodiments, when folded upwards in this fashion, upper edge portion 15 of envelope 10 may be positioned generally higher than lower edge portion 13 of shell 2.

The second/upper edge portion 15 may be adapted to couple to the inner surface in a detachable fashion. As shown in the illustrated embodiment, a first fastening element 8 may be located on inner surface 6. A second fastening element 9 may be located on an upper edge or portion 15 of envelope 10, and may be configured to couple to first fastening element 8 in order to secure envelope 10 to shell inner surface 6 in a removable fashion. In some embodiments, first and second fastening elements 8 and 9 may be corresponding sides of a zipper, whereas in other embodiments they may include a plurality of snaps or hook and loop closure mechanisms. Fastening elements may also or alternatively be located at or near lateral sides 21 of the envelope and jacket, as described below in greater detail. In one embodiment, system 100 does not include first and second fastening elements 8 and 9, and the lateral sides 21 of envelope 10 may be permanently coupled to shell 2 (e.g., with gluing or stitching). In this example, upper edge portion 15 of envelope 10 may remain open, forming a pocket adapted for receiving, for example, a lower edge portion of a removable liner, as discussed in greater detail below.

In various embodiments, the lower edge portion 11 of envelope 10 may be coupled to shell 2 at or near the lower edge portion 13 of shell 2, for instance on the inside surface 6 of shell 2. In some embodiments, lower edge portion 11 of envelope 10 may be permanently coupled to lower edge portion 13 of shell 2, e.g., sewn or glued to shell 2. In other embodiments, envelope 10 may be composed of the same piece of material as shell 2, for instance it may be integral or continuous with shell 2. In yet other embodiments, lower edge portion 11 of envelope 10 may be configured to be coupled to shell 2 in a removable fashion (e.g., using one or more zippers, snaps, buttons, hook and loop type fasteners (e.g., Velcro™), and/or other detachable interfaces).

A powder skirt 12 may be coupled to envelope 10, and may include a skirt upper edge portion 19 and a skirt lower edge portion 14, and closure flaps/edges 23. Skirt upper edge portion 19 may be coupled on or near the upper edge portion 15 of envelope 10. In some embodiments, powder skirt 12 may be permanently coupled to envelope 10, e.g., sewn or glued. In other embodiments, powder skirt 12 and envelope 10 may be composed of the same piece of material, for instance it may be integral or continuous with envelope 10. In yet other embodiments, powder skirt 12 may be configured to be coupled to envelope 10 in a removable manner, e.g., using one or more zippers, snaps, buttons, hook and loop type fasteners (e.g. Velcro™), and/or other detachable interfaces. In some embodiments, closure flaps/edges 23 of powder skirt 12 may be configured to be coupled to one another in a removable manner, e.g., using one or more zippers, snaps, buttons, hook and loop type fasteners (e.g. Velcro™), and/or other detachable interfaces, such that when shell 2 is worn, powder skirt 12 may be secured around the wearer's body, with lower edge portion 14 preferably below the beltline of the wearer.

For example, in the illustrated embodiment, powder skirt 12 may be secured using male and female snap components 16, 18 when powder skirt 12 is in use. In some embodiments, skirt lower edge portion 14 of powder skirt 12 may include an elastic element 17, such that powder skirt 12 will fit snugly around the wearer's body, outside the wearer's pants, in order to prevent matter from reaching the wearer's body or inner layer of clothing. In other embodiments, powder skirt 12 may be coupled to the wearer's pants, ensuring that powder skirt 12 will not ride up and creating a tighter seal. In some embodiments, powder skirt 12 may be configured to create a waterproof or windproof seal with the pants to which it is coupled. In some embodiments, upper edge portion 19 of envelope 10 also may comprise an elastic material (not shown), such that it fits snugly around the wearer's body, creating an additional seal in addition to the seal of powder skirt 12.

In various embodiments, vertical flaps 20 may be coupled to shell 2 and sized to cover the edges 23 of the envelope, and may further have fastening mechanisms for securing the edges in the folded position. As discussed in greater detail below, in particular embodiments, snaps or other fastening elements 26 may be located on flaps 20 which may be coupled with snaps or other fastening elements (not shown) near lateral edges 21 of envelope 10. Vertical flaps 20 may also be adapted to cover, for example, an interchange zippers (not shown) which may be used to couple a removable liner 22 to shell 2 when removable liner 22 is to be worn with shell 2.

FIG. 2A shows a cross sectional side view of a specific, non-limiting example of powder skirt system 100 wherein jacket/shell 2 is used in conjunction with removable liner 22. FIG. 2B shows an inside view of the powder skirt system 100 of FIG. 2A. Removable liner 22 and/or shell 2 may be configured such that removable liner 22 may be coupled to shell 2 (e.g., with a zipper or other fastening mechanism) so that the outer surface 23 of removable liner 22 generally abuts and conforms to the shape of the inner surface 6 of shell 2.

In various embodiments, when removable liner 22 is used with shell 2, envelope 10 may fold along inside surface 27 of removable liner 22, rather than inside surface 6 of shell 2. Once envelope 10 is folded back up and coupled to the inside surface 27 of removable liner 22, it may be secured to the liner by, for example, coupling fastening element 9 disposed along the longitudinal second edge 15 to corresponding fastening element 24, coupled along the liner 22. A lower portion 28 of removable liner 22 may then sit between envelope 10 and shell 2. In this way, powder skirt 12 is positioned in a more suitable configuration, extending from removable liner 22 to the wearer's body. So configured, removable liner 22 may be integrated into shell 2 in a more optimal way, such that it will better resist bunching as would happen if powder skirt 12 were attached to shell 2 rather than removable liner 22.

Similar to some embodiments described above, in some embodiments, the side or lateral edges 21 of envelope 10 may be permanently (e.g., gluing, stitching, or fabric extension) or detachably (e.g., zipper, Velcro™, snaps, etc) coupled to shell 2 along the side edges in lieu of coupling along the longitudinal upper edge. In these embodiments, upper edge portion of envelope 10 may remain open, forming a pocket adapted for receiving a lower edge portion 28 of a removable liner 22. So configured, when removable liner 22 is coupled to shell 2, lower edge portion 28 of removable liner 22 may be slipped into the pocket created by lower edge portion 13 of shell 2 and envelope 10, permitting removable liner 22 to be used with powder skirt system 100 without bunching.

Where the attachment along the side edges of the envelope are detachable, flaps 20, for example, may be used and include fastening elements such as snaps 26 which may be coupled with fastening elements such as snaps (not shown) near the lateral edges 21 of envelope 10. These snaps may be used to couple the lateral edges of envelope 10 to shell 2 without obstructing the ability of removable liner 22 to be coupled to shell 2. When snaps 26 are utilized, powder skirt 12 may still be deployed in a functional manner even if removable liner 22 does not include fastening element 24.

As previously discussed, fastening elements 8, 24 and 9 may be a variety of detachable coupling mechanisms, such as zippers, snaps, hook and loop, etc. When the fastening elements are detached, regardless of whether the attachment point(s) are along the longitudinal upper edge portion 15 and/or along the lateral edges 21 of envelope 10, envelope 10 and powder skirt 12 may then be folded down and out of the way. In some embodiments, when a liner is not used, envelope 10 may be folded back up and coupled to the inside surface 6 of shell 2 by, for example, coupling fastening element 9 to fastening element 8.

A powder skirt 12 may be coupled to the envelope as discussed with respect to FIGS. 1A and 1B, and include a detachable fastening mechanism to close the powder skirt around the wearer's body (e.g., snaps 16, 18). When used in conjunction with envelope 10, powder skirt 12 may be deployed in its normal arrangement and thus may be fully functional. When the powder skirt 12 is not used, envelope 10 may stay out of the way and may not interfere with the functionality or comfort of shell 2. In some embodiments, powder skirt system 100 may be configured such that powder skirt 12 may be stored inside envelope 10 when powder skirt 12 is not in use. In such embodiments, a second zipper, for example, may be disposed on envelope 10 such that powder skirt 12 may be folded into the pocket formed by envelope 10, and the second zipper may be used to couple envelope 10 to either shell 2 or removable liner 22. So configured, powder skirt 12 will be stored in envelope 10 and out of the way. In other embodiments, powder skirt 12 may be detachable from envelope 10, and may then be placed in envelope 10 and stored therein.

By utilizing a powder skirt system 100 in accordance with various embodiments, powder skirt 12 does not need to be completely separated from shell 2 in order to transfer powder skirt 12 from shell 2 to removable liner 22, as is required in other systems. That is, powder skirt 12 may remain coupled to envelope 10, and envelope 10 may remain coupled to shell 2. This facilitates changing the positioning of powder skirt 12 generally from shell 2 to removable liner 22.

Powder skirt 12 and envelope 10 may be made of any desirable material or materials. For example, powder skirt 12 and/or envelope 10 may comprise material having a combination of one or more properties such as, but not limited to, waterproof, water resistant, windproof, wind resistant, insulating, and/or elastic, etc.

Although powder skirt system 100 is particularly suited for use during snow activities, it is adaptable for any use where it is desired to protect the wearer's body or inner layer of clothing from outside elements. For example, powder skirt system 100 could be adapted for use in the rain, during fishing for protecting against water, during construction or manual labor for protecting against dirt and/or debris, for working with hazardous chemicals, or for working in a clean room environment, etc.

Although certain embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a wide variety of alternate and/or equivalent embodiments or implementations calculated to achieve the same purposes may be substituted for the embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the present invention. Those with skill in the art will readily appreciate that embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure may be implemented in a very wide variety of ways. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof. 

1. Apparel and skirt system comprising: a shell having an inner surface, an outer surface, and a lower edge portion, an envelope comprising an first longitudinal edge, an opposite second longitudinal edge, and one or more side edges, the first longitudinal edge of the envelope being coupled to the shell generally at or near the lower edge portion, wherein the envelope is adapted to fold upwards and generally conform to a portion of the inner surface of the shell, and wherein the upper edge portion of the envelope is adapted to couple to the inside surface of the shell at a point above the lower edge portion of the shell; and a powder skirt coupled to the envelope.
 2. The apparel skirt system of claim 1, wherein the shell comprises two or more layers.
 3. The apparel skirt system of claim 2, wherein the two or more layers are selected from the group consisting of an outer layer having water resistant properties, an insulating layer, and a lining layer.
 4. The apparel skirt system of claim 1, wherein the envelope is substantially continuous with and made of the same material as a layer of the shell.
 5. The apparel skirt system of claim 1, wherein the powder skirt is substantially continuous with and made of the same material as the envelope.
 6. The apparel skirt of claim 1, wherein the second longitudinal edge and/or the one or more side edges of the envelope are adapted to detachably couple to the inner surface of the shell a point above the lower edge portion of the shell.
 7. The apparel skirt system of claim 1, further comprising a removable liner coupled to the shell, wherein the removable liner comprises a liner inside surface and a liner lower edge portion.
 8. The apparel skirt of claim 7, wherein the envelope folds around the lower edge portion of the removable liner and generally conforms to a portion of the inside surface of the removable liner.
 9. The apparel skirt of claim 8, wherein the second longitudinal edge and/or the one or more side edges of the envelope are adapted to removably couple to the inner surface of the removable liner a point above the lower edge portion of the shell.
 10. The apparel skirt system of claim 9, wherein the second longitudinal edge and/or the one or more side edges of the envelope are further adapted to removably couple to the shell.
 11. The apparel skirt system of claim 10, wherein a zipper, hook and loop fasteners, and/or a plurality of snaps are used to removably couple the second longitudinal edge and/or the side edges of the envelope to the removable liner and/or shell.
 12. The apparel skirt system of claim 1, wherein the one or more side edges are coupled to the shell and form a pocket between the envelope and the inner side of the shell.
 13. The apparel skirt system of claim 12, wherein the one or more side edges are permanently coupled to the shell.
 14. The apparel skirt system of claim 12, wherein the powder skirt is adapted to fold into the pocket in a stowed position when not in use.
 15. The apparel skirt system of claim 14, further comprising a fastening mechanism disposed below the attachment point of the powder skirt to the envelope that is adapted to couple to the shell or the lining to retain the powder skirt in the stowed position.
 16. The apparel skirt system of claim 1, wherein the powder skirt further comprises two lateral end portions, and wherein the two lateral end portions are adapted to couple to one another to allow the apparel skirt system to be secured about the body of a user.
 17. The apparel skirt system of claim 1, wherein the powder skirt is removably coupled to the upper edge portion of the envelope.
 18. An apparel skirt system comprising: a shell; a removable liner adapted to couple to the shell; an envelope having a first longitudinal end coupled to a lower portion of a shell, a second longitudinal end adapted to fold upward and generally conform to a portion of an inner side of the shell or a removable liner, and at least one side edge coupled to the shell; a pocket formed between the envelope and the shell; and a powder skirt adapted to couple to the envelope generally at or near the upper edge portion of the envelope.
 19. The apparel skirt system of claim 18, further comprising a first fastener disposed generally along the second longitudinal edge and a second fastener complementarily disposed generally along an inner side of the shell and/or the liner, wherein the pocket may be closed along the longitudinal second edge.
 20. The apparel skirt of claim 19, wherein the envelope further comprises a third fastener disposed below the first fastener and matable with the second fastener, wherein mating of the third and second fasteners retains the powder skirt within the pocket in a stowed position. 